Category Archives: Pork

What? Shrimp again? Well, football season is now in full swing and I prepared these shrimp at our first Miami Dolphins tailgate party. They were such a hit that I had several requests for the recipe the very next day.

This recipe presents a perfect opportunity to mention “levels of flavor” once again as these shrimp benefit from the flavor boosts of the prosciutto and the rosemary. While they are very good without the prosciutto (and I have made them that way for friends that do not eat pork), the addition of the prosciutto, in all its salty, crispy, goodness, really does add another level of flavor that makes these shrimp a very special treat!

Add to that the fresh rosemary branches used as skewers and while you can certainly use bamboo or metal skewers, taking the extra step and using the rosemary adds a smoky, piney bite as the branches smolder on the grill and again another level of flavor that I think knocks these shrimp right over the top of the flavor scale.

As if those 2 levels of flavor were not enough, along comes the citric acidity of the lime juice and the kick of the horseradish in the Key Lime Cocktail Sauce to again take it to another level and a good dish suddenly becomes the hit of the party. Touchdown!

In a medium-sized mixing bowl combine half of the lemon zest with the next 2 ingredients, add a pinch of kosher salt and several good grinds of black pepper (about ½ tsp) then roughly ¼ cup of olive oil. Whisk until the olive oil begins to emulsify (or thicken). Gently toss the shrimp in this mixture until well coated, cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

While the grill is heating up, wrap each shrimp individually with a strip of the prosciutto. Using the rosemary branches as skewers, thread the shrimp evenly on 4 to 8 of the skewers (depending on the length of the branches). Drizzle the skewered shrimp with a little more olive oil, sprinkle them evenly with the remaining lemon zest and a few more grinds of black pepper.

Grilled directly over the flames, turning only once, until the prosciutto is crispy and the shrimp are browned and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side depending on how hot the grill is. Serve with Key Lime Cocktail sauce and…

My wife and I attended a party last Saturday night…an Annual End of Summer Turkey Fry. It was a wonderful party hosted by our friends Joe & Linda and as usual the party was a huge success. As the enthusiastic crowd lined up with their plates to sample some of the 16 turkeys (yes, I said sixteen!) it didn’t take long to notice that the one poor guy that was carving and serving as fast as he could, was very quickly getting deep in the weeds.

Well, as any food lover worth his salt would do, I sprung into action, grabbed a knife and proceeded to help break down my fair share of the steaming hot birds. By the time the dust settled and the lines had dwindled down we had carved 13 turkeys. Both the cook and the gracious hostess insisted that the carvers “must” take home some of the leftover turkey…so who am I to refuse leftovers?

I ended up bringing home a whole 12 lb bird plus a jambalaya pot full of scraps.

Why all this turkey talk in a post about pork? Well, that was Saturday, and by Wednesday night we had eaten turkey gumbo, turkey with rice & gravy, turkey panini, and turkey hash (with poached eggs of course!). After turkey for lunch and turkey for dinner for four days straight, by last night I was ready for anything but turkey…I was ready for some pork!

Char siu, in Chinese, translates to fork burn (or roast). Interestingly the word Char actually means fork and siu, to burn or roast. This is the same “roast pork” that is often used in egg rolls, won-ton, fried rice, and myriad other ways in Chinese cooking. Traditionally it is hung on a hook or fork (Char) and roasted (siu) in an oven or over an open fire. Because this recipe strays from tradition (braised and not marinated for hours) I am calling it Char Siu “Style” Pork.

Here in the U.S. much of the Char siu that I have eaten has been dry and oftentimes chewier than I prefer, so for this recipe I set out to come up with something a little more juicy and tender. I decided on braising because this cooking method has been working very well for me with the leaner boneless pork country style ribs. Because I didn’t have time for a true marinade, I felt the braise would infuse the flavors most deeply in the shortest amount of time.

Would I recommend using this same recipe and marinating the pork overnight? Absolutely! I probably will do exactly that the next time around. But, for the relatively short (two hours overall) cooking time that I had, I think I was able to produce a reasonable Char Siu “Style” pork. It tasted right, was moist and quite tender and I was happy with the results. And, it wasn’t turkey!

Of note: This pork would also be quite good finished on the grill instead of the final uncovered baking. Look for the bean sprouts to be hot, with a little browning on the outside, but still crispy on the inside. You don’t want them to be limp. If you like a little heat try adding a tablespoon of sliced bird (or Thai chili) peppers at the same time as the green onions.

Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line the bottom of a Dutch oven or a large, deep sauté pan with the sliced onions. Add the Shaoxing wine and bring to a mild simmer over medium heat.

Combine the Hoisin sauce, soy sauce, agave nectar, fish sauce, toasted sesame oil, garlic, and ginger in a mixing bowl. Stir until well incorporated. One at a time, dip each rib into the sauce mixture to coat, then nestle them onto the bed of onions already in the pan. Place the remaining sauce in the refrigerator for later use.

When all of the ribs are coated and placed evenly on top of the onions, cover the pan firmly with aluminum foil before placing on the lid. Bake at 325 for 1-1/2 hours.

After 1-1/2 hours remove the ribs from the oven. Carefully remove the lid and the foil and then “very” carefully pour off most of the liquid (reserving the liquid for later use). Brush the remaining sauce mixture on the ribs and return them, uncovered, to the oven for 30 minutes more.

Remove the ribs from the oven and allow them to rest while you prepare the bean sprouts.

To prepare the bean sprouts…

Heat a wok (or sauté pan) over high heat until very hot. Add the oils, shaking the pan to distribute. Add the green onions, garlic, and ginger and cook stirring constantly for 30 seconds. Add roughly 1/8 cup of the reserved cooking juices from the pork, then the bean sprouts and cook stirring constantly for 1 minute. Let this sit 30 seconds without stirring then remove from heat. That’s it…You’re ready to serve!

To serve…

Place about a one cup serving of the bean sprouts on the plate then fan sliced rib meat even on top. Garnish with (roughly) 1” pieces of julienned green onions and serve with a little of the cooking liquid as a dipping sauce.

For the Easter holiday this year I wanted to come up with something unique and when I found this recipe by one of my favorite celebrity chefs, Nigella Lawson, I simply could not resist. The fact that she uses an entire 2-liter bottle of Coca-Cola is certainly an indulgence considering my usual avoidance of sugar but hey, isn’t indulgence what holidays are all about?

After reading Nigella’s very fitting introduction I thought I would give it a try.

Aside from changing the language to suit a U.S. kitchen I altered the recipe only very slightly; turning the ham halfway through braising to create an even “burnish” from the cola, and placing the cloves strategically so that a little more flavor would soak into the ham. For more even cooking I would also recommend starting with a (close to) room temperature ham.

I also tried to describe the scoring a little better…it’s basically just lines drawn on the surface with a knife in roughly a diamond pattern. This scoring allows the fat to baste the ham while baking keeping it nice and moist. Don’t let the scoring scare you…it does not have to be perfect…mine certainly wasn’t!

On the day that I cooked this ham I made the mistake of discarding the cola after removing the ham from the pot. Although the ham turned out wonderfully flavorful and moist, in retrospect I would like to have tried reducing (boiling down) some of that sweet and spicy liquid until thick and then drizzling it over the sliced ham for both a fancier presentation and added flavor. Do try that…I know I will next time around.

Place the ham, and sliced onions into a large stew pot or Dutch oven. Pour the entire bottle of Coca-Cola over all and bring to a light boil over medium-high heat. When the cola reaches a boil, lower the heat, cover, and maintain a gentle simmer for 2-1/2 hours carefully turning the ham over at the halfway point. Remove the ham after 2-1/2 hours and place on a cookie sheet to cool.

Pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees.

When the ham has cooled just to the point that you can work with it, trim away the skin and most of the fat from the outside, leaving just the slightest layer of fat. Carefully score the ham, slicing 1/8 to ¼ inch deep diagonal score lines around the outside every inch or so. Then turn the ham and slice score lines in the opposite direction, forming a diamond pattern as the scored lines intersect.

Massage the outside of the ham with enough molasses to create a nice glaze then carefully and evenly distribute first the mustard powder, then the brown sugar over that. Poke whole cloves into the ham at the points where the score lines intersect so that they are snugly seated and will not fall out. Bake the ham uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes until the glaze has become sufficiently browned and bubbly. Remove the ham from the oven and rest until cool enough to slice.

Of note from Nigella: “for braising the ham in advance and then letting the ham cool, take ham from the refrigerator, glaze it according to the recipe, and give it 30 to 40 minutes to sit at room temperature. Place in a 350 degree F oven for 30 to 40 minutes, then turning up the heat if you think it needs a more crispy exterior.”

Count me among the many meat-eaters that love pork…the flavors, the succulence, the aroma as it cooks…I do love a good hunk of pork! And is it really all that bad for you? The recently shelved “other white meat” campaign would have had us believe it is no worse for you than chicken. While it’s true, there can be about the same amount of fat as chicken, there can also be a significant amount of calories from fat depending on the cut.

In my wiser years I have naturally become more conscious of my eating habits. I hardly ever eat bacon anymore and practice moderation when it comes to all things pork. Believe it or not, I only cook pork twice, maybe three times a month. Even so, the reason it shows up on my blog quite often is because it is indeed one of my favorite things!

While I do make a habit of choosing the leaner cuts, country style pork ribs generally isn’t one of them. I think I actually got a little giddy when I found these nicely lean boneless ribs at Aldi last week. I picked them up and excitedly anticipated giving them a try. With the long cooking of the braise they came out wonderfully tender, had only a little line of fat along one edge and the flavor was chock full of porky goodness!

I have discovered that grating the garlic on a microplane creates an intensely garlicky flavor, so much so that I only used about half the garlic I used to use. Speaking of flavor, the browning in this recipe gives it a nice head start and the tomatoes and the wine contribute to both flavor and tenderness. Lastly, covering the pan with foil creates an extra good seal to prevent moisture loss and helps retain all that good flavor.

I served this dish over spinach pappardelle; the wide noodles did a good job of collecting all that sumptuous sauce. You could also use egg noodles, ziti, or rigatoni.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven or a large heavy bottomed pan over medium high heat until almost smoking. Season the ribs well on both sides with kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper and sear until well browned on all sides (about 10 minutes over all). Set ribs on a plate to return to the pan later.

Add onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and herbs to the same pan and cook stirring often until the onions become transparent, about 6-8 minutes. Add the wine to the pan and stir to loosen any browned bits. When the wine has reached a rapid boil add the tomatoes and the juice from the can, gently crushing them as you add them to the pan.

Return the pork to the pan nestling the ribs into the sauce, bring to a light boil then cover the Dutch oven or pan with aluminum foil. Place the lid on the pan pressing to seal it well then flatten the foil around the sides. Bake 1-1/2 hours and allow 15 minutes rest before serving. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese.

Oh, but I do love pork! Granted, as we have grown both in age and in wisdom my wife and I eat much less pork than we used to. The old “everything in moderation” certainly holds true here and while I do eat more pork than beef, I also believe it’s all about balance and I try not to overdo it. No really…I do!

Ok, I admit it; I did pick up this lovely package of chops just last week and last night was the second Tuesday in a row that we enjoyed them. It will however be quite some time before we have them again as they are a fattier cut of pork. Even though there is still some debate regarding the health benefits of pork I do try to pick the leaner cuts if I am going to cook it.

So while you will see it here once in a blue moon I hope you can appreciate that we consider pork an exception to our otherwise healthy diet, a special treat if you will. The same holds true for beef. Some may call it rationalization but I firmly believe that eating whole grains, lower fat foods, and fresh vegetables as the major part of my diet gives me a little leeway. It allows me to enjoy myself from time to time and cook something a little less good for me without feeling guilty. And it tastes oh so good!

As a nod to that healthier diet this sauce is my lower fat answer to a Dijon cream sauce. There is no butter and there is no cream. I think the non-fat yogurt adds a nice creaminess to this sauce and in such a small amount that it doesn’t overwhelm the other flavors. Adding the yogurt at the last minute, off the heat, keeps it from separating or curdling in the sauce. You can use plain non-fat yogurt in many dishes in place of sour cream, milk, or cream just be sure not to let it boil.

This recipe is written as a menu for 4 and it comes together in 1 to 1-1/2 hours depending on the size of the potatoes. Although I did not do it this night, I often sprinkle Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs over the kale as a garnish. Try it, you’ll like it!

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and lower the heat to low. Add 4 good grinds from the Herb Grinder (about ¼ Tbsp) and cook slowly, stirring occasionally until the onions begin to turn golden. Stir in the garlic and continue cooking and stirring occasionally until onions begin to brown (about 30 minutes over all).

Add the kale and toss to coat well with the olive oil, raise the heat and sauté for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and cover. As soon as the stock comes to a boil lower the heat and stir once more. Cover and cook on low 10 minutes more, stirring now and then. Remove lid, stir and continue cooking uncovered to allow most of excess stock to cook away. Stir in the vinegar (if using) and serve.

Sprinkle the pork liberally with the Italian Herb Seasoning Grinder then with kosher salt and set aside (at room temperature) for 20 minutes.

In a large skillet heat 3 Tbsp. of olive oil over medium high heat until shimmering. Gently lay the pork chops into the oil and reduce the heat to medium. Cook chops 3 minutes to brown then turn the chops and cook 3 minutes more. Move the chops to a foil or parchment lined sheet and place into the 350 degree oven to finish.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 1 Tbsp. of flour. Continue stirring until the flour is blended with the remaining oil then return the pan to the heat. Cook, stirring for one minute more then add the chicken stock. Using a whisk, stir the stock until well blended then allow the sauce to come to a boil, stirring occasionally.

When the sauce has thickened somewhat, whisk in the mustard and continue cooking and stirring until the sauce becomes quite thick. Remove the pan from the heat and turn off the burner. Remove the chops from the oven and place on plates or a platter. With the pan still off the heat, whisk in the yogurt until well incorporated then spoon the sauce over the chops.

OK Ladies, make this one for your man and he will be volunteering to do the dishes! This is one of my favorite easy recipes and there are always plenty of leftovers for lunch.

You don’t need an expensive, ceramic Dutch Oven to make tasty and tender braised dishes; If you don’t have a Dutch Oven try cooking this in a large skillet with a snug fitting lid. For braising, just before putting the dish in the oven, cover the skillet with foil then place the lid on gently but firmly to create a good seal. Similar to pressure cooking this traps in the moisture and adds steam to the cooking equation which results in a moist and very tender end product.

On the stovetop heat a heavy bottomed Dutch Oven (or an oven proof Saute Pan with a tight fitting lid) over medium high heat. Meanwhile coat the ribs generously with Salt and Pepper.

Add the oil to the Dutch Oven and heat until the oil is just beginning to smoke then carefully add the ribs browning them well on all sides (about 3 – 4 minutes per side). Remove them to a plate when well browned.

Add the garlic to the pan and stir briskly for about 1 minute then add the wine. Allow the wine to come to a boil while scraping any browned bits loose from the pan. Cook about one minute more.

Return the ribs to the Dutch Oven, add the rosemary sprigs and cover tightly. Carefully place the Dutch Oven in the oven and bake for one hour. Check the ribs for tenderness, cover and bake 20 minutes more if necessary.

Remove the Dutch Oven from the oven, uncover, and allow the ribs to rest 10 minutes before serving, basting occasionally with the pan sauce.